6 Basic Rules in File Naming

1. Be descriptive
We no longer live in a world where you can only have a file name thats
8 characters long. Yes, I used computers then. Im old. And thats really
the point of your new file naming system - you will get old and forget
what you named things. The goal here is to come up with a recipe that
has a structure easy enough to follow that youll actually use it. Dont
make it too complicated, but include enough information so the names
are organized and easy to discern. In other words, dont make names
so that you have to decode them. Make them so you can just read
them.
I love how David says to assume senility in his article:
Dont get cryptic. Pretend future you will be drunk or senile (or both)
when looking at these filenames and make the name easy to
understand.
Be descriptive so you can search with normal language to find your
files later.
What do you do two years down the road when you need to find a 3d
model for your portfolio to get a new job and the file is named Study
Final Final 5b No Really This Is Final zzzzz.skp? How many other files
do you have with the word final in it? Stop it. That isnt descriptive.
Use your big words. It isnt a good idea to name your files Untitled or
3d Model or Research Paper either, even if they are in a folder with
a different project name than the others. What matters are the FILE
names when searching later on down the road.
1b. Finally
Never use the word final in a file name. Ever. Srsly. It seems that
architecture students have this problem the most, but the pros do it
too. Maybe it has to do with wanting to be done. We all know it isnt the
final version. You know theres still something thats screwed up. Its
not final, and probably never will be. Just Save As and make a new
version of the file.
2. Be consistent

Once you develop your own (or steal my) technique, you need to use it.
All the time. Every day. Everywhere. Use project or client names in
every file, every time.
3. Use lowercase letters only
This is part of our consistency concept. When you look at a folder full
of files it just looks better when you use the same case conventions.
And we care how things look, don't we?
4. Dont use special characters
Letter and numbers are fine of course, but computers dont always
know what to do with certain characters and symbols. Stick with the
basics and youll be fine. Spaces are ok of course. Even the internet
has learned how to deal with spaces in file names, although%20it
%20isnt%20pretty. If you dont like or cant read that, use underscores
or dashes between words like_this or like-this. Those are much more
internet and website friendly. It seems like almost everything ends up
on the web nowadays, so save yourself some time in the future by
naming things web-ready today if you think your work will end up
there.
5. Use dates in your file names
Why? Dont we already have a modification date for each file? Yes, but
having the date at the beginning of a file name ensures no matter
where the file ends up that it is sorted the same way everywhere.
6. Use version numbers in files you create
To use an analog term, create a paper trail with your digital files. Not to
mention this will totally save your life when the current file youre
working on gets corrupted and you have to start over. Oh yeah! You
dont have to because you have a version that is only 15 minutes old!
Like I said, life saver. This doesnt just go for crazy intricate 3d models.
This goes for TPS reports too.
So heres what your file names should look like following these 5 rules:
2012-06-28 idyllwild library - sd - exterior massing model
04.skp
Always start with the date in YYYY-MM-DD format (also known as ISO
8601 format). Then include descriptive text. This means having a

project name, company name, client name, job name, etc. just after
the date. Include the phase of the project if you can. In this case, sd
stands for schematic design which is an early phase of an architectural
project. Then describe the contents of the file itself and add a version
number.
Sidebar: Version numbers are important. Not all files will get them (like
the ones you collect online for instance). I keep tons of versions of files
so I can go back in time to review process, grab something out of an
older version to put into a new one, and have a record of my work.
Dont throw away old versions! Are they really taking up too much
space on your 2 terabyte hard drive? The answer is no. You probably
only need the most recent couple of versions on your Dropbox, but
archive the old ones for posterity in a separate folder called Archive.
Lastly, always end with a file extension. I cant tell you how many times
Ive seen my students look for a file only to not be able to open it three
years later because they cant remember what they made it in or
because they deleted the software off their computer even if they were
lucky enough to find it in the first place. It happens all the time. I also
include extra spaces and dashes in the filename for the simple reason
of making them easier to read.

CLICK ON THIS IMAGE TO SEE AN EXAMPLE OF TAGS AND COMMENTS

Extra credit: you can add additional metadata to files by using
the Get Info...command on them in Finder on the Mac. This allows you
to add comments, keywords and even tags to files (in Mac OS X
Mavericks and newer).

Youll need to apply the same rules or come up with something similar
for files you collect from other people or online. You're going to have to
do this because no one else is as smart as you with your new file
naming skills.

Now that you have mastered this technique, teach it to someone

else. Just be sure to give all the credit to me.

Additional tips to make the process easier using automation utilities:

On my Mac*, I use a couple of applications to help me take this to the
next level. First up is Smile Software's TextExpander. It's a godsend for
turning small text snippets into full-on magically delicious words on
your screen. I love it for a myriad of reasons. I use it for turning
repetitive things I type every day into shortcuts. For instance, if I type
wwork it automatically expands into my work address. This is great
on Google Maps or for putting my address into a web form. If I type
etet it expands into my email address. It works great for file naming
ever since I stoleDavids shortcut for adding the date stamp to the
beginning of my file names. I dont even have to know what day it is.
All I have to do is type .ds and todays date automatically appears
right where my cursor is. 2012-06-30 See? BAM! My computer knows
the date and I dont have to anymore. Awesome. We live in the future.

MY TEXTEXPANDER SNIPPETS LIBRARY

Next is Default Folder X, which replaces the Open and Save dialog
boxes in my applications. This utility is a huge time saver, especially if
you have many hard drives connected to your Mac either locally or
over a network. In this instance, it also allows me to add Spotlight
comments to my files metadata for helping me find things later.
Spotlight is great for finding things fast no matter where they are on
my Mac, and this adds some octane booster to its search abilities. The
benefit here is that I can add my comments when I'm saving the file so
I get to skip the added steps of doing the Get Info... command on the
file later (which I mentioned earlier). Here's what the developer has to
say (emphasis mine):
Make better use of Spotlight. Apple introduced Spotlight and Smart
Folders in Mac OS 10.4, but theres still no way to easily add keywords
and comments to files as you create them. Default Folder X fixes this
by letting you enter Spotlight comments and OpenMeta tags when you
save a file.

THE DEFAULT FOLDER X SAVE DIALOG BOX

See the last part of the image above with the large, blue magnifying
glass? Thats where you can enter these comments as you save your
file. Mysteriously easy. I put things in that box that will help me find the
file even easier in the future. This is part of that senility clause.
Me (thinking): Hm. I need to find a corten steel texture for this new
project Im working on. What did I name that file I built that corten
panel fence in 5 years ago?
Spotlight search (option + spacebar on my Mac): corten fence
Computer: Heres that model you did of the Idyllwild Library 5 years
ago that has a corten fence in it with the texture you need right now.

Me (out loud): Im a genius! Im so glad I filled out that spotlight

comment when I saved that file. It didnt even have corten fence in
the file name!

MY ACTUAL SPOTLIGHT SEARCH QUERY

Can you do this without Default Folder? Yes, of course, but it makes it
so much easier by allowing you to add comments during the act of
saving your file. This is just one of the reasons I use Default Folder X. It
does a ton more.
So, in summary:
Dos:

Be descriptive

Be consistent

Include version numbers

Assume senility

Donts:

Include the word Final in the title. It never is final. Amirite?

Be cryptic

Forget the file extension

Use special characters

I cant tell you how many times this has saved me when I needed to
find something later. Take your time and tailor it to your needs. Once
you do, youll never have to think about it again. This new system may
seem overwhelming at first, but setting this up now is a lot easier than
doing it later.
* Yes, these tips apply only if youre a Mac user. If youre on Windows, I
dont know of any software that does the same things, but there
probably are some. If you know of them, please leave a message in the
comments. All of the file naming techniques apply to whatever
operating system you religiously dedicate your waking hours to
worshipping.

6ish Dasar Berkas Penamaan Aturan Thumb

1. Jadilah deskriptif

Kita tidak lagi hidup di dunia di mana Anda hanya dapat memiliki nama
file yang 8 karakter. Ya, saya menggunakan komputer kemudian. Saya
sudah tua. Dan itu benar-benar titik sistem file baru penamaan - Anda
akan mendapatkan tua dan melupakan apa yang dinamakan hal.
Tujuannya di sini adalah untuk datang dengan resep yang memiliki
struktur yang cukup mudah untuk mengikuti bahwa Anda benar-benar
akan menggunakannya. Jangan membuatnya terlalu rumit, tetapi
mencakup informasi yang cukup sehingga nama-nama yang
terorganisir dan mudah untuk membedakan. Dengan kata lain, tidak
membuat nama sehingga Anda harus decode mereka. Membuat
mereka sehingga Anda hanya dapat membacanya.

Saya suka bagaimana Daud berkata menganggap kepikunan dalam

artikelnya:

Jangan samar. Berpura-pura masa depan Anda akan mabuk atau pikun
(atau keduanya) ketika melihat nama file tersebut dan membuat nama
mudah dipahami.

Deskriptif sehingga Anda dapat mencari dengan bahasa yang normal

untuk menemukan file Anda nanti.

Apa yang Anda lakukan dua tahun jalan ketika Anda perlu menemukan
model 3d untuk portofolio Anda untuk mendapatkan pekerjaan baru
dan file yang bernama "Studi Akhir 5b Akhir Tidak Benar-benar ini
adalah zzzzz.skp Akhir"? Berapa banyak file lain yang Anda miliki
dengan kata "akhir" di dalamnya? Hentikan. Itu tidak deskriptif.
Gunakan kata-kata besar Anda. Ini bukan ide yang baik untuk nama file
Anda "Untitled" atau "3d Model" atau "Kertas Penelitian" baik, bahkan

jika mereka berada dalam folder dengan nama proyek yang berbeda
dari yang lain. Yang penting adalah nama FILE saat mencari nanti di
bawah jalan.

1b. akhirnya

Jangan pernah menggunakan kata "akhir" dalam nama file. Pernah.

Srsly. Tampaknya mahasiswa arsitektur memiliki masalah ini yang
paling, tetapi pro melakukannya juga. Mungkin itu ada hubungannya
dengan keinginan untuk dilakukan. Kita semua tahu itu bukan versi
final. Kau tahu masih ada sesuatu yang kacau. Ini belum final, dan
mungkin tidak akan pernah. Hanya Save As ... dan membuat versi baru
dari file.

2. Konsisten

Setelah Anda mengembangkan sendiri (atau mencuri saya) teknik,

Anda perlu menggunakannya. Semua waktu. Setiap hari. Di manamana. Menggunakan nama proyek atau klien dalam setiap file, setiap
kali.

3. Gunakan huruf kecil saja

Ini adalah bagian dari "konsistensi" konsep kami. Ketika Anda melihat
sebuah folder penuh dengan file itu hanya terlihat lebih baik ketika
Anda menggunakan konvensi kasus yang sama. Dan kita peduli
bagaimana hal-hal terlihat, bukan?

4. Jangan menggunakan karakter khusus

Surat dan nomor yang baik tentu saja, tapi komputer tidak selalu tahu
apa yang harus dilakukan dengan karakter dan simbol-simbol tertentu.
Stick dengan dasar-dasar dan Anda akan baik-baik saja. Ruang ok saja.
Bahkan internet telah belajar bagaimana menangani spasi dalam nama
file, meskipun% 20it% 20isn't% 20pretty. Jika Anda tidak suka atau
tidak bisa membaca bahwa, penggunaan menggarisbawahi atau strip
antara kata like_this atau seperti ini. Mereka jauh lebih internet dan
website ramah. Sepertinya hampir semua berakhir di web saat ini,
sehingga menyelamatkan diri beberapa waktu di masa depan dengan
penamaan hal-hal web-siap hari ini jika Anda berpikir pekerjaan Anda
akan berakhir di sana.

5. Gunakan tanggal dalam nama file Anda

Mengapa? Bukankah kita sudah memiliki tanggal modifikasi untuk

setiap file? Ya, tetapi memiliki tanggal pada awal nama file memastikan
di mana pun file berakhir bahwa itu diurutkan dengan cara yang sama
di mana-mana.

6. Gunakan nomor versi dalam file yang Anda buat

Untuk menggunakan istilah analog, membuat jejak kertas dengan file

digital Anda. Belum lagi ini benar-benar akan menyelamatkan hidup
Anda ketika file saat Anda bekerja pada akan rusak dan Anda harus
memulai dari awal. Oh yeah! Anda tidak perlu karena Anda memiliki
versi yang hanya 15 menit lama! Seperti saya katakan, kehidupan
saver. Ini tidak hanya pergi untuk gila model 3d rumit. Ini berlaku untuk
TPS laporan juga.